Matt Walton ’14
Staff Writer

They can be found everywhere, shouting, berating, and screaming all across television. On Iron Chef America, viewers can enjoy watching these hosts shouting Japanese war chants before starting the competition. On perhaps the most famous example of these shows, Hell’s Kitchen, one can watch former professional soccer player turned Michelin-starred English chef, Gordon Ramsay, find new, cruel and unusual ways to put down contestants.

Over the last few years, shows starring chefs that are at best demanding, and at worst downright cruel to the men and women who compete on their shows, have become more popular than ever. In fact, both Iron Chef America and Hell’s Kitchen have run for over eight seasons and inspired countless copies, with scores of channels trying to duplicate the success and popularity of these shows.

It’s easy to see why viewers are drawn to these shows, with their addictive combination of delicious food and juicy drama, along with the promise of great fame and riches for those who manage to survive and thrive under these difficult circumstances.

But are real-life commercial kitchens nearly as mean as those shown on these shows? A glimpse into the kitchens of the Staples culinary arts department reveals students laughing and smiling. They prepare their concoctions under the experienced eye of Chef Gans, who calls the program “a mix of nurturing and discipline.”

Even students agree. “I feel that culinary is kind of a break from the monotonous grind of high school and reminds students that there’s more to school than textbooks and pencils,” Chris Sledge ’11 said.

Nurturing doesn’t sound like the kind of word a Ramsay or other chefs featured on Iron Chef America or Hell’s Kitchen would use to describe their own kitchen.

Chef Karen Inwood who has been cooking professional for eight years shed light on the contradiction between reality show kitchens and the average home or school kitchen.

Inwood describes herself as being as big fan of these shows, stating that she watches “all of them.” But she also thinks these shows are not realistic. “I think Hollywood glamorizes it way beyond what it’s actually like,” Inwood said. “It’s not like on TV where chefs are shouting and throwing pots and pans at people.”

She describes kitchens as places that are generally frenetic and busy, but “places where people generally work well together.”

“The best kitchens should work like an orchestra,” Inwood said.

She also feels that these shows do mislead people’s conceptions of commercial kitchens. “If I were a young woman watching these shows who wanted to become a chef, I’d probably be too scared to try to become one. ”